Expandable batons have been used for many years by law enforcement officer as a convenient alternative to conventional one-piece batons or night sticks. When in the retracted position, expandable batons can be worn in a holster attached to the equipment belt of a law enforcement officer without interfering with the movement of the officer. Additionally, when retracted, the expandable baton can be somewhat concealed by the officer to reduce his or her threatening appearance when confronted with a delicate situation. When retracted, a top cap retainer prevents the expandable portions of the baton from extending out of the holster and possibly injuring the officer.
Expandable batons typically include an outer gripping tube that acts as the handle for the baton when the baton is in the extended position. One or two telescoping sections nest within the gripping tube such that the retracted length of the expandable baton is approximately ⅓ of its extended length. During use, the baton is sharply swung in an arc such that the inner telescoping sections are flung outward such that the centrifugal force generated during the swinging action overcomes the holding force created by the top cap retainer. Typically, each of the telescoping sections includes an expanded end that interacts with a tapered surface formed on the outer section to frictionally lock the baton in its extended position. When the expandable baton is not being used, the top cap contains a spring retainer which, when compressed within the smallest inner diameter section, allows the baton to be secured in a retracted position. An example of such a baton is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,643.
The spring retainer that forms part of the top cap used with expandable batons is typically a wire spring that provides a predetermined amount of holding force to hold the baton in its retracted position. If the holding force of the spring retainer needs to be increased or decreased, the user must physically distort the wire spring, which can be very difficult to accomplish without the use of tools. The user may wish to increase the holding force of the spring retainer depending upon the type of action the officer sees or the physical size of the officer. As an example, a smaller officer may wish to decrease the spring retainer holding force to allow the officer to more easily extend the baton by swinging the baton in an arc.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a top cap retainer that allows the holding force of the spring retainer to be adjusted easily without the use of any additional tooling.